Monroe awaits $15M earmark for major road safety improvements

Safety improvements to a dangerous Interstate 80 exit/entrance ramp and a busy section of state Route 715 South near The Crossings Premium Outlets will hopefully include more than just new signs.

CHRISTINA TATU

Safety improvements to a dangerous Interstate 80 exit/entrance ramp and a busy section of Route 715 South near The Crossings Premium Outlets will hopefully include more than just new signs.

The county's long-term goal is to widen I-80 exit 299 and the entrance ramp from Route 715 South to I-80 East. Improvements to the area also include installing a traffic light on 715 South and widening I-80 exit ramp 298.

Whether major improvements can be made, however, is dependent upon county officials receiving a $15 million earmark issued by then-Sen. Rick Santorum in 2005.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, county officials would be responsible for matching 25 percent — $3.75 million — in order to obtain the full $15 million.

The Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corp. is listed as the entity in charge of raising the money, said Ron Young, a PennDOT spokesman.

Corporation representatives said they are still in the process of raising the $3.75 million, though they did not specify how much of their goal has been met.

"We'd like to get the financing in place as quickly as possible. Until we get the local match nailed down, that federal earmark is in jeopardy," said Dennis Noonan, an economic development specialist with the corporation.

Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., Santorum's successor, has since taken oversight of the earmark. Casey's office was in touch with the corporation as recently as last week to see where they stand with the fundraising effort, said Stephanie Zarecky, a spokeswoman for Casey.

"There is no explicit statutory expiration date on the funding. However, congressionally directed funding like this that goes unspent for several years is always at risk of being redirected to other projects," Zarecky said. "Such redirection generally requires legislative action, and while no legislation is pending that would redirect this particular funding, local advocates would be wise to allocate this funding, which was originally secured several years ago, in a timely manner."

Noonan said several local businesses in the area would directly benefit from the safety improvements, and those businesses have recently agreed to help match the funding.

Noonan declined to name any of the participants, however. He said officials hope to raise the $3.75 million by the end of the year.

County Administrator Bob Gress said improvements to the I-80 exit ramps and Route 715 are "short-term solutions to help solve a bigger problem."

The recommendations were part of a 2004 countywide traffic study conducted with PennDOT, which suggested eventually widening I-80 and Route 611 to help alleviate traffic in the area.

The full project was estimated at costing $120 million, money that isn't available in this tight economy, Gress said.

Earlier this month, engineers from PennDOT were out to inspect Exit 299 after receiving a complaint from a concerned motorist.

Engineers had recommended installing additional signs at the ramp and on state Route 715 South.

As of Wednesday afternoon, signs had yet to be placed in the area.

Young said a further inspection by the PennDOT Monroe County maintenance staff revealed several directional and route indicator signs are missing from the ramp and nearby roadway.

"We don't know (how they went missing). Typically signs go missing by being stolen or hit by vehicles," Young said.

New signs have since been ordered and are expected to be installed by mid-November, he said.